Summary of "The Best And Worst Shoulder Exercises"

Summary — key takeaways, techniques, and exercise rankings

Criteria the presenter used to judge shoulder exercises S-tier exercises meet these: high tension (especially in the stretched position), feel good (no pain), smooth resistance profile, and a simple progression (easy to add weight/reps over time).

Top recommendations (S / S+)

Cable lateral raise — S+ (presenter’s overall best pick)
- Why: provides even tension while the side delt is stretched (set cable around hand height so the arm/cable form ~90°), feels excellent, easy to progress.
- Technique tips: try wrist cuffs or hold a lacrosse ball if a forearm pump distracts you; use a floating hand/grip variation to improve connection.
Cable Y raise — S
- Why: larger range of motion and excellent tension sweep.
- Caveat: slightly awkward to learn for some.
Behind-the-back cuffed lateral raise — S
- Why: time-efficient (both arms at once) and very effective.
- Setup: hook wrists into cuffs, step over/rotate as needed, raise out and slightly forward.
Reverse cable crossover (rear delts) — S
- Why: huge stretch, even tension, excellent rear-delt connection when you sweep outward rather than yank back.

Very good / A-tier (recommended alternatives)

Atlantis / standing machine lateral raise — A+ (very close to S)
- Why: smooth, consistent tension and easy overload; minor downside = slightly less stretch than cables.
Machine shoulder press — A+ (presenter’s top pick for anterior/front delts)
- Why: deep stretch, feels better than dumbbells for some people, less technique-dependent, easy to take to failure.
Seated dumbbell shoulder press — A
- Why: better ROM and side-delt involvement than barbell; faster to set up.
Reverse pec-deck (rear delts) — A / S if done optimally
- Why: consistent tension; bracing chest directs load to rear delts. Doing the movement from a sideways seated set-up deepens the stretch (may take longer since single-arm).
Rope face pull — A
- Why: excellent rear-delt stretch; use lower attachment, underhand grip, and external rotation to emphasize rear delts.
- Caveat: mid-traps often activate strongly and can steal the focus from rear delts.

Good / B-tier (solid but with limitations)

Standing dumbbell lateral raises — B
- Why: time-efficient and effective in practice, but zero tension at bottom (stretched position) and peak tension at ~90°.
- Tip: lean against a bench/rack (lean-in lateral raise) to bias the stretch and improve the tension curve.
Super ROM lateral raises — B
- Why: can fully contract side delts but still suffer from a suboptimal tension curve.
Overhead press (barbell) — B
- Why: heavy overload and stretch but very anterior-dominant and less side/rear activation; standing stability demands shift some load away from delts.
Seated overhead press (barbell) — B
- Why: fixes stability issue but remains front-dominant and less satisfying to some.
Dumbbell overhead press — B
- Why: faster setup, more ROM, slightly more side-delt involvement than barbell.
Upright rows (preferably with cable rope) — B
- Why: targets upper traps and side delts; OK if shoulders are healthy. Hard to isolate delts to true failure because traps take over.
Bent-over reverse dumbbell flies — B
- Why: useful when cables are unavailable but zero tension at bottom stretch limits effectiveness.

Lower-tier / less recommended (C / D)

Banded lateral raises — C
- Why: zero tension at bottom and max tension at top — poor tension in the stretched position; okay only if bands are the only option.
Front raises (dumbbell/cable/machine) — D
- Why: redundant for most people because anterior delts already receive plenty of work from presses; only use if front delts are specifically underdeveloped or presses are unavailable.

Worst / “least useful” pick

Front raises — labeled the “worst of the worst” in the video because of redundancy, though not placed in an F tier (can be useful in certain circumstances).

Practical programming & technique tips (actionable)

Prioritize exercises that maintain tension in the stretched position — cables and some machines generally do this best.
Use machines/cables when you want smooth tension and simple progression (good for hypertrophy and strict failure sets).
For faster sessions or limited set-up time, dumbbells offer time-efficiency but may sacrifice an ideal tension curve — modify with lean/lie variations to improve.
Use cuffed cables/behind-the-back setups or lacrosse ball grips to reduce grip/forearm fatigue and improve delt connection.
If pressing is part of your program, reduce isolated front-raise volume (it’s often redundant).
For rear delts, emphasize sweeping the cables outward and avoid yanking to improve stretch and targeting.
Consider single-arm or alternating setups when addressing unilateral imbalance or when you want an extreme stretch, even if it takes longer.

Overall picks

Best overall shoulder exercise: cable lateral raise (S+)
Best front-delt exercise: machine shoulder press (A+/top pick for anterior head)
Best rear-delt exercise: reverse cable crossover (S)
Worst (least necessary) exercise: front raises (redundant for most)

Presenters / sources mentioned

Video presenter / host (author of the book “The Muscle Ladder”; unnamed in the subtitles)
Dr. Mike Isrel — source for the Super ROM lateral raise
Arnold — referenced via “Arnold’s Instagram” for an Arnold-style lying/side-lying dumbbell raise